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Garden Tips Newsletter - July 30, 2001

If your hydrangeas (H. macrophylla), those with large pink or blue flowers, need pruning, do so immediately after flowering. Under dry conditions, some trees may lose up to 10 percent of their leaves. This helps reduce the amount of water trees lose by transpiration (water vapor loss).

Now is the time to monitor your trees and shrubs for Japanese beetles. Adults lay their eggs in July and August and are common on susceptible hosts (weakened plants). For more detailed information and pictures on the Japanese beetle, its life cycle, plants that are susceptible, and control measures see this website put out by the USDA Animal and Plant Inspection service.

These archived newsletters were written by Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly. Kelly is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.